Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Medieval legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail have captivated scholars and enriched spiritual reflection throughout the Christian tradition. These lectures will explore two Arthurian romances, Chretien de Troyes' Knight of the Cart, and the Cistercian text we know as The Quest of the Holy Grail, through the lens of Catholic teaching on redemption, divine grace, and the pursuit of virtue. It will reveal what chivalry does and does not have to do with divine love, and how the truest knights must open themselves up to the sacred mysteries of faith, and of "the Love that moves the sun and the other stars."
This is the first lecture in a three-part series. Join us for the next sessions on June 9th and June 30th. Register here: instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
Instructor:
Dr. Anthony Esolen is the author of dozens of books and over 1,500 articles in both scholarly and general interest journals. Known for his three-volume verse translation of the Modern Library edition of Dante's Divine Comedy, Professor Esolen has also written verse translations of Tasso's epic poem, Jerusalem Delivered, and of Lucretius' On the Nature of Things. His own book-length sacred poem, The Hundredfold: Songs for the Lord, is a series of 100 lyric poems and dramatic monologues interspersed with two dozen of his own beautifully written hymns. He has taught literature and the humanities for over 30 years, and he is a frequent speaker at colleges and at church and civic institutions. Dr. Esolen currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Literature at Thales College in Wake Forest, NC. For more from Dr. Esolen, please visit his online magazine, Word & Song, at www.AnthonyEsolen.com.
Want to dive deeper? Visit our website for hundreds of hours of free audio and video content: instituteofcatholicculture.org
Medieval legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail have captivated scholars and enriched spiritual reflection throughout the Christian tradition. These lectures will explore two Arthurian romances, Chretien de Troyes' Knight of the Cart, and the Cistercian text we know as The Quest of the Holy Grail, through the lens of Catholic teaching on redemption, divine grace, and the pursuit of virtue. It will reveal what chivalry does and does not have to do with divine love, and how the truest knights must open themselves up to the sacred mysteries of faith, and of "the Love that moves the sun and the other stars."
This is the first lecture in a three-part series. Join us for the next sessions on June 9th and June 30th. Register here: instituteofcatholicculture.org/events/the-quest-for-the-holy-grail
Instructor:
Dr. Anthony Esolen is the author of dozens of books and over 1,500 articles in both scholarly and general interest journals. Known for his three-volume verse translation of the Modern Library edition of Dante's Divine Comedy, Professor Esolen has also written verse translations of Tasso's epic poem, Jerusalem Delivered, and of Lucretius' On the Nature of Things. His own book-length sacred poem, The Hundredfold: Songs for the Lord, is a series of 100 lyric poems and dramatic monologues interspersed with two dozen of his own beautifully written hymns. He has taught literature and the humanities for over 30 years, and he is a frequent speaker at colleges and at church and civic institutions. Dr. Esolen currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Literature at Thales College in Wake Forest, NC. For more from Dr. Esolen, please visit his online magazine, Word & Song, at www.AnthonyEsolen.com.
Want to dive deeper? Visit our website for hundreds of hours of free audio and video content: instituteofcatholicculture.org
